Strength of a woman
by fhsdrumline08
Summary: When Nick's fiance' gets into some trouble, the true strength of a woman will be tested. NickOC sry, bad summary
1. Ch 1: Making it Right

**Title: **Strength of a Woman

**Summary: **When Nick's fiancé gets into some trouble, the true strength of a woman will be tested.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the CSI characters, or any of the Las Vegas landmarks. I do, however, own Samantha Stevens.

**A/N: Okay, so I have all of the chapters typed up, but the matter is trying to get them out to you all in a timely fashion. I would like to do a chapter a week, but it really does just depend on how often I have time to get on my computer. Alright? Any questions and concerns just let me know.**

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The soft sounds of the fan blow through the room, trying to rid the room of the humid Nevada air. Someone once told me that when the temperature is hot in Sin City, it's because something big is going down. I roll over in the bed, trying to fall asleep, something that hasn't been easily lately: Because of the tension in the air and because of the tension between Nick and I. I love Nick to death, don't get me wrong, but sleeping around is the one level that I never thought he'd hit, and he did. Before I can escape my thoughts, though, I hear someone's footsteps coming down the hall. The dogs are shut in the backyard, and Nick's sisters had left for the airport hours ago, so that left only one person: Nick. Since his 'affair', I haven't talked to him very much: not so much because I'm angry, but because I didn't know what to say. For the first time since my biological dad's death when I was twelve years old, I had no answer; no solution to the problem at hand. It hurt to know not only did Nicky have the affair in the first place, but that he didn't trust me enough to just straight up say 'I screwed up, Sam'. The footsteps reach about the doorway and stop there for a moment. My eyes are closed, but I know that it's Nick. He told me once that watching me sleep seemed to erase everything bad that happened during the day. We see a lot of bad things in our line of work, and getting away from that tends to be more difficult than anything else. He had even said that the thought of me was what kept him going when he was in the box. Nick gets closer, and the closer he gets, the more I can smell his cologne, making me miss him even more. The bed sags down as Nick lies on his back beside me.

"Sam, you need to know that I never meant to hurt you. I really hope you know how much I love you and how much you've helped me through some really bad times. I really wish that I hadn't screwed this up, Sam, I do."

I hear Nicky's breath get ragged, and feel a ping in my heart as I realize that he is crying. I roll over so my body is facing his.

"Nick?"

Nick quickly tries to hide the fact that he had just been crying. The moonlight shining in through the window proves him otherwise, though.

"Yeah. Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was up already."

"Do you want me to leave?"

I cuddle up to his body, tucking my head into the spot where his neck meets his shoulder, and lay my left arm over his chest.

"No, I missed this, actually."

"Alright. Try getting some sleep, Shorty."

"Don't call me that."

I say, sleepily, already falling asleep in the warmth of Nick's arms. He laughs at the little joke that we've had between the two of us since we met so many years ago. The silence in the room is deafening.

"Nick?"

"Yeah, Sammy?"

"I heard what you said. I want you to know that I don't hate you. I'm just….I don't know."

"Sam, it was a complete mistake."

"Yes, it was, but, hey. This is Vegas. People make mistakes here all the time."

"That's no excuse for me, though. I was brought up better than that."

"Yes, you were. That's why you're laying here right now, apologizing to me. I'm not going to hold your hand and tell you that you're forgiven completely because you're not."

I feel Nick nodding his head.

"It was a really crappy thing you did, and only time can fix that."

"Agreed on both parts."

"But you just took the first step in that process."

I nestle my head back into his chest, getting that safe feeling that I've always had when I was around Nick. He leans down, planting the gentlest kiss on the top of my head.

"Now, get some sleep, Shorty. We both need it after the past few weeks that we've had."

There's no need to tell me twice, as I've already fallen asleep in the arms of the man I love.


	2. Ch 2: Waking Up to Reality

**Title: **Strength of a Woman

**Summary: **When Nick's fiancé gets into some trouble, the true strength of a woman will be tested.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the CSI characters, or any of the Las Vegas landmarks. I do, however, own Samantha Stevens.

**A/N: Okay, so I have all of the chapters typed up, but the matter is trying to get them out to you all in a timely fashion. I would like to do a chapter a week, but it really does just depend on how often I have time to get on my computer. Alright? Any questions and concerns just let me know.**

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I wake up before Nick the next morning with a newly refreshed outlook on life. The thought of the discussion and problem that we solved yesterday comes flowing back to me, bringing a warm smile to my face. There is some shifting besides me in the bed as Nicky shakes off the remnants of sleep.

"Good morning, darlin'."

Nick yawns as he speaks, his Texan accent very evident in the morning. The thought of how adorable he is when he wakes up flows through my mind.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"As a matter of fact, yes: first time in a long time, sleeping in the arms of my woman."

"**Your **woman?"

"Yes, **my **woman, a soon-to-be-Stokes woman."

He says, as he holds up my left hand, showing off the diamond engagement ring that he had given me almost six months ago. It was the most romantic thing ever: Nick proposed at his parents' ranch in Texas, just as the sun was setting. The ring was the one his grandfather used to propose to his grandmother, and was also the one that his dad used to propose to his mom. It was a family heirloom and I felt honored to be the next woman in line to wear it.

"You know, Samantha, we could call in sick today. Cath and Warrick still owe us a few favors."

"No, we need to get our lives back as close to normal as we can."

I say, gently kissing Nick's chin.

"I should go finish some paperwork."

"Don't put it off, baby. It'll only make it worse."

Nick swings his legs out of bed, and shuffles towards the bathroom to take a shower before work. I go into the kitchen, making Nick some toast, knowing that that's all he ever eats anyway, rather he has work that day or not.

"Here you go."

I say, and stick a piece of toast in his mouth as Nick puts his shirt on.

"I guess I'll see you when I get done with those case files; shouldn't take more than an hour, hour and a half maybe."

"Bye baby."

I say as Nick walks out the front door and down to his freshly washed Denali. I do a few minor things around the house: make the bed, vaccum the living room and bedroom rugs, and even manage to sneak in a shower. While I'm in the shower, my interest is piqued by a sound somewhere in the house. Sometime the house will make random creaks, so I just dismiss this as one of those times and finish up in the shower. The warm water soon turns ice cold, so I get out, put on my silk robe, that Nick got me for Christmas, and headed towards the bedroom, to get some clothes. The minute the soles of my feet touched the smooth surface of the hardwood floor, I feel a cloth being held over my nose and mouth that had been soaked in what I could only assume was Chloroform. The person, whoever it was, was pulling me towards the front door. My feet were kicking all over the place, knocking all sorts of stuff over. My struggling efforts don't last as long I would have liked, though, and I'm soon overcome by the cloth over my face. The last thought in my head is the about the secret that I'm carrying inside of me right now, one that nobody knows about but me.

**A/N: short, I know, but this felt like the right place to end the chapter. Please R&R! I don't think I will be updating this story again until I get at least five reviews. Five reviews for two chapters isn't too much to ask, right?**


	3. Ch 3: Calling in the search crew

**Title: **Strength of a Woman

**Summary: **When Nick's fiancé gets into some trouble, the true strength of a woman will be tested.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the CSI characters, or any of the Las Vegas landmarks. I do, however, own Samantha Stevens.

**A/N: Okay, so I have all of the chapters typed up, but the matter is trying to get them out to you all in a timely fashion. I would like to do a chapter a week, but it really does just depend on how often I have time to get on my computer. **

**_A/N: Huge thanks to StokesSandersSpeedle, Soccer-Bitch, mangoskin93, kianna sparrow, Paly Messer Stokes. Your reviews were great and they made me happy! I decided to be nice since you guys hit 5 reviews, and update a while early. I'll post another chapter within a few weeks or so._**

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"Hello, Shorty? Are you home? Sammy?"

Nick's voice rings through the empty apartment. As he flips the light switch, illuminating everything in the apartment, a horribly scary feeling of dread and panic overcomes his body. There are obvious signs of a struggle: books I had knocked off the table, shoe scuffmarks on the floor, and even a small amount of blood. The kidnapper had pressed the cloth against my face so hard that he had broken my nose and given me a nosebleed. Nick quickly pulls his cell phone out of his pants pocket and dials Gil's number.

"Gil, it's Nick….Samantha, she's gone. No, there was most definitely a struggle. You should get here. Now."

Not even a full twenty minutes later, a cop car and two CSI-Issued sedans pull up out front and come inside.

"Oh man."

The look on Jim, Warrick, and Gil's faces are all the same: one of shock and concern.

"Warrick, you dust for prints."

"You got it boss."

Warrick takes off for the bathroom/bedroom while Gil and Jim sit on the sofa by a very unnerved, scared Nick.

"I told her I'd see her in an hour. That would've been around noon. I just got home."

Looking up at the clock, it had just turned 2:00 pm. Nick had been two hours later that he said he would be.

"Maybe if I had gotten home on time, Sam wouldn't be gone."

"Nick, it's not your fault that she's gone."

"How do you know that, Griss? How do you know that it wasn't somebody who I had pissed off on a case?"

"We don't, Nick. Not yet, anyway."

Grissom says, in his usual calm, in control, tone of voice.

"Can you think of anyone in particular who would want to hurt Samantha? Or you?"

"Not anybody on Sammy's end. Everybody loves her."

He picks our engagement picture up off of the coffee table. It was actually one that Cath had taken of Nick and I standing in front of the Bellagio, but everyone told us that we looked perfect in that picture. We were both smiling from ear to ear, bigger than any normal person would've thought possible. While Nick looks at my face and tries to memorize every small detail, I'm waking up from what feels like a coma, and a painful one at that. My head is pounding like after a bad hangover, and I'm shivering, not only from the cold, but from fear as well. I try to pull my robe tighter around me, try to cover myself a little bit more, but my hands are tied to the chair that I'm sitting in.

"Help! Somebody get me out of here! Please, somebody help!"

The lessons that my father tried to teach me as a young child finally kick in: If you ever get kidnapped, scream as loud as you can.

"Look at that. Sleeping beauty is awake."

A chill runs down my spine, making me shiver, and back at the apartment, as time goes on, Nick's hope begins to fade.

**A/N: I know, still a little short, but I'm trying to make them longer. The reviews were great and I'd like to see if I can get at least 5 reviews on this chapter alone.**


	4. Ch 4: Frightening View

**Title: **Strength of a Woman

**Summary: **When Nick's fiancé gets into some trouble, the true strength of a woman will be tested.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the CSI characters, or any of the Las Vegas landmarks. I do, however, own Samantha Stevens.

**A/N: Okay, so I have all of the chapters typed up, but the matter is trying to get them out to you all in a timely fashion. I would like to do a chapter a week, but it really does just depend on how often I have time to get on my computer. **

**_A/N: Huge thanks to Future Miss CSI60, Soccer-Bitch, StokesSandersSpeedle, and anyone that I may have forgotten. Your reviews were great and they made me happy! FutureMissCSI60, I'm going to give you a shout out. I read your Nick/Riley stories, and I love them! Anyway, here's your chapter for the week, let's get some more reviews, okay? There's some bad language in here, but I tried to keep it to a minimum._**

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tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock

Nick listens to the sounds of the clock from the same spot he has been in for the past two hours. Grissom told him that he would be one of the first ones to know if something happened, but that wasn't good enough for Nick. Nick wanted more, he wanted to know exactly where I was and how soon he could bring me home. The only sounds in the lab now are the hum of the machines, the ticking of the clock, and the occasional person walking by.

"Nick, go home. Get some sleep. You're no good to Samantha in your condition."

"I'm no good to her at home, either. I want to stay here."

A ping comes from the speakers and a screen pops up on the computer display:

Click Here to View Webcam Feed

"Do it, Griss."  
Nick's eyes are filled with a clear determination, urging Grissom to click on the button. He does and a horrifying video of me pops up on the screen. I'm now blindfolded and gagged, with a large cut across my left cheek. My robe has ridden up, revealing my thigh, and my feet are tied to the rickety old wood chair.

"Oh, God, Griss."

"Calm down, Nick."

I try struggling again, but just receive a whack across my face with the butt of a .9 mm pistol, successfully shutting me up.

"CSI Stokes, say hello to your pretty little, what was the word you used? Future Stokes woman?"

It then hits Nick that this man must've bugged our house sometime when we weren't home.

"Samantha, anything you would like to say to your 'Nicky'?"

I start screaming. The only sound coming around the gag, though, is a muffled noise.

"mmph….Nick…."

"CSI Stokes, you have two hours to find your fiancé. In the meantime, Sam and I will be having some fun."

I feel his hand moving up my thigh, making my heart speed up, so I start screaming again.

"Bye."

The screen once again goes black, sending Nick into a panicked rage.

"Damn it! Damn it all to hell!"

He kicks a garbage can that had been set next to the computer table.

"Nick,"

Grissom says, trying to calm Nick down.

"No! Samantha, our Sammy, is with some random guy, very possibly being raped and beaten right now. By the time we find her, that asshole very well could kill her."

Griss, who feels bad about not being able to do anything, tries to keep a level head, and knows that's what Nick needs right now: Something stable that he can depend on.

"Did that place look familiar to you at all? Did the guy sound familiar?"

"I don't know, not really."

Greg practically comes running into the room, followed closely by Brass, who looks equally as excited as Greg.

"Grissom, Nick, I know where Sam is."


	5. Ch 5: Finale

**Title: **Strength of a Woman

**Summary: **When Nick's fiancé gets into some trouble, the true strength of a woman will be tested.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the CSI characters, or any of the Las Vegas landmarks. I do, however, own Samantha Stevens.

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"Samantha, you're being very brave."

My chin is shaking, and tears are pouring down my face. I knew Nick would be here soon, but I didn't know how much more of this I could take before I snapped.

"I'm sure invetigator Stokes would be very proud of you right now."

"Please, just let me go."

"Not yet, not quite yet."

The shrill ringing of a cell phone echoes through the warm air. The man behind me answers.

"Yeah…..he's here? Good, bring him in."

The door in front of me opens as Nick and another man steps in. I don't know if I should be glad that Nick is here, or scared that now they have him as well.

"Nick Stokes, so glad to finally see you again."

"I know who you are, Mike. You're doing this to get back at me for your brother."

My mind scans through my past cases trying to remember something about a man Nick or I had put away who had a brother named Mike.

"Just because your evidence got my brother the death penalty means nothing to me. I would never hold that against you, CSI Stokes."

I look up just as Nick flashes me a look. In that one look, that one moment, his eyes ask if I'm okay, and tells me everything I need to know.

"Your future wife has done a great job."

"She's very brave. That's one of the reasons that we all love her."

I look up at Nick, and crack a small grin through the tears.

"That's why I came to make a deal."

"A deal? What a surprise! What is this deal?"

"Well,"

Nick begins as he steps forward a little bit.

"Take me instead of her."

My mind begins to race at Nick's statement and I can feel my heart drop to the bottom of my stomach.

"Why, Mr. Stokes, that's so sweet of you. Come on over here."

"No. Samantha comes away first."

"Ugh, fine then."

Mike helps me up and sends me over to Nick. Before I have any idea of what's going on, Nick shields my body with his, as around ten LVPD officers practically burst in to arrest Mike. Nick just holds me in his arms for a minute, glad to not have lost me again.

"Are you okay?"

He whispers in my ear. I just nod my head into his shoulder. Nick and I stand up, and look around us.

"Samantha, we'll need to meet you at the hospital."

"Okay, Griss."

Together, hand in hand, Nicky and I begin to walk to the door. As we walk away from the carnage, and I begin to realize how lucky I am, I take a deep breath and turn to Nick.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm pregnant."

**A/N: This is the end of this story. I hope you all enjoyed it. The end may seem kind of weird, but it seemed like a good place to end it, and a nice place to end it if I decided to write a sequel.**


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